Crooked Fate
by Tricksters Love
Summary: Set in a time when Voldemort did not exist. Hunter, a participant in a test that went horribly wrong, finds herself trapped in a storybook world with a deadly secret. As the story plays itself out, she is left wondering more and more: Could I betray him?
1. Dream Run

"This place is strange…where am I?"

The words echoed faintly in the deserted hall as Hunter shivered. Whether from the cool air that pressed at her exposed skin or the growing fear that was tightening its grasp even now she was unsure. What she did know, however, was that she was very lost and utterly alone. Or perhaps not. The fear spiked suddenly as she heard voices approaching. Normally she might have been elated to find someone in what she had thought to be a desolate place but under such circumstances… Well, her caution could hardly be called into question. Moving swiftly from her crouched position in the middle of the hall, she hid herself as best she could in the darkening shadows. Last she remembered, it had been near dusk as it was here. Perhaps no time had passed at all. Perhaps… The voices passed her then. There were two of them though she had eyes only for the taller, paler boy. It was only a moment when she saw his face and yet it was already etched onto her memory. So the 'test' had worked. Her eye slid shut just as the boy froze then turned slightly to glance back the way he had come. Hunter could tell the other boy waited for him to speak. To command, really. Though the boy may have held some illusion about friendship in truth the other was his master.

"Odd."

That one word held more in it than Hunter would have thought possible. Strange…strange that the test had worked and yet she still held no notion of where she was. Was he the one she was searching for then? How could it be when he held so little care for anything? It was so obvious in the way he held himself. People had always been open books to her but he…this boy was…

"What's that?"

She grimaced slightly then froze. If she moved now they would see her. As she stilled her breath, her heart responded in kind and naturally slowed as she began to count silently in her head. She was always very good at being still. It helped her to think clearly and now even more so. The test had worked. It had actually worked. She breathed in, her chest barely rising, and held that breath to a count of ten. Slowly, so slowly as to escape notice, she let the breath go. Then repeated the motions. Time seemed to crawl but finally he turned away and started walking once more. The other boy had to jog to catch up with his long, quick strides.

"It was nothing, just a thought."

Hunter resisted the sudden urge to follow him. She might have been able to succeed in doing so while avoiding detection but it was risky especially if he would be as aware of her presence as she was of his. Too risky and yet she still had to quell that desire. The test had worked. Too well perhaps. Sighing heavily, she rose and left her hiding place to go in search of more suitable clothing. Being mostly naked was not only embarrassing but highly uncomfortable in such a place. It felt like winter within the stone walls which worried her some as it had been summer before… before whatever had happened, happened. The only warning was a flash of black in the corner of her eye but it was enough. Dropping to the floor, she heard the projectile hit the wall with a crash. Rising to a crouch, she did not bother to look for her assailant and instead raced to the end of the hall. She just barely made it around the corner when a second projectile whizzed past her head to hit the wall now opposite her.

This time she caught a glance of the projectile before it smashed against the wall. _Some kind of beam of light or perhaps a ray. Gun maybe or magic. A spell then, had to be._ As she thought, she ran; now fully erect and at an all-out sprint. This place… she knew this place. Had to. That was how it worked after all. She just had to remember which book it was that had jumped into her memory before she had blacked out. That would be her answer but there were just so many… Sliding to a stop, she hid behind a large statue of what looked to be a dancing troll and glanced cautiously down the hallway back the way she had come. It looked clear. She crouched there in the shadow of the statue and tried to slow her breathing and met with little success. Her heart refused to stop pounding regardless of her best efforts.

Giving it up as a lost cause, she rose and jogged to the first door she saw. As her hand curled around the door handle, a shout echoed down the hallway that sounded curiously like 'stop'. Stupid really. Who in the history of mankind ever listened when someone shouted stop? Perhaps it was because he was used to being listened to. Even from this distance; even when it was a single, shouted word, she could recognize his voice. The door slammed open as she applied more force than strictly necessary. Her heart was, as impossible as it seemed, pounding even harder now. Shit. The window. She started towards it then flew forward as a sudden force hit her back. It felt like a car had run into her and for a moment her vision was filled with stars and she the only thought left in her head was consumed with the effort of trying to remember how to breath. He was talking then and though her mind could not even begin to comprehend what he was saying, her heart rejoiced at the sound. _Too well, it worked to well. He's trying to kill me and I'm happy about it because it's him. Shit._

Her lungs filled with a gasp and she tried to rise but fell back to the floor as her vision darkened. His voice paused for a moment but continued once he saw her gaze on him. What he was saying held some meaning but she could no more focus on it now than a minute ago as her lungs struggled to work. She could only stare, mouth hanging open slightly, as she watched his lips move. The were delicate, full lips; the kind that belonged to the girls in fashion magazines. The arrogant tilt of his head suggested self-importance; the glint of anger in his eyes a hidden danger in even looking at him. He moved with an odd grace that reminded her quite distinctly of a snake. It was the kind of grace that suited him; beautiful but deadly. He paused once more then scowled. Even that was beautiful. What ever had Marcus done to her?

"Are you quite finished or shall I turn for you too?"

Hunter grinned stupidly, barely able to speak. Shaking her head slightly, she let her eyes slide close. Not being able to see him helped a little. It was enough.

"If you did, I suspect I would not be able to stop laughing for some time."

He seemed agitated, angry even, at her answer. She supposed that was to be expected. Sighing, she pressed the palm of her hands against her eyes and smiled.

"You should probably think of me as something other than a normal person. It might help when I don't act like you expect me too. Because I won't act like anyone else. Because I'm not really normal even considering…"

She trailed off, arms falling to her sides as she laid back against the cool floor. He was still angry but she could no more return that anger than she could force herself to stop her own breathe. It had worked too well. This had been the part that she was most afraid of so of course it would be the part to malfunction. Marcus had said her personality was an obsessive one. Perhaps that was it. Perhaps the test had malfunctioned because she was abnormal. It made more sense than anything else that had occurred to her so far and the instinct to blame any oddities in her life on her condition was a strong one. Hunter rose then though her eyes remained mostly closed. Slowly, she took a single step back then opened her eyes halfway. She could not bear to look at him. Those cold eyes that were watching her even now as her body started to tremble. This would be difficult but…

Lunging forward, Hunter slammed her fist into his stomach as hard as she could, a pang shooting through her chest as she practically felt the air leaving his lungs. He fell, stunned, to the ground as his wand left his grasp. Wand. That struck a note in her memory but she had no time to ponder that train of thought any further. Turning on her heel, she ran for the window and threw it open. Without another thought, Hunter launched herself through the opening. Sliding a ways down, she caught the railing just as she was about to fall off the side of the roof. Swing over to hang off the side of the roof, she let herself drop to the balcony below. This place was much bigger than she had thought. A castle of some sort. Again the word struck her as something significant but the man who occupied the balcony as well stole her attention. The half-moon glasses seemed oddly familiar as did the quietly assessing gaze. When she felt the feather-light touch on her mind, she balked as the realization hit her. Where she was…this castle…this man. Slamming a mental iron curtain around her thoughts, she backed away quickly from him, stopping only when she felt the wall behind her. Mustn't panic, mustn't scream… It was building slowly but she could still quell the urge. It had worked; the test had worked. She was here. Was that not what she wanted? But it was wrong, all wrong. Because she wasn't normal. Because… Clamping down hard on the scream that had lodged itself in her throat, she mustered a weak grin. The words came out as a slight croak at first but on the second try were much clearer.

"Good evening headmaster."

He seemed taken aback for a moment though the look was passing. It must have been her appearance that had him puzzled or that she could protect her mind or maybe simply the fact the she had just dropped from ten feet from above him then greeted him with such a casual air. Or a combination thereof. She knew she was staring again but in a blank, almost unfocused way this time. It was too much. Her vision was going dark as the fear and the panic began to take hold. It was too much to handle. She was through. She gave in then, almost with relief, and her mind blanked out completely. She was running again though she had no idea as to where. Simply to be away from where she was moment to moment. Can't stay still, can never stop. He was close. His shout was expected and she could almost completely ignore it. The stairway loomed just ahead of her but as she was forced to stop her headlong run as she reached the end of the stairs and met not a landing or another doorway but empty space. Of course; they liked to move. She could hear him behind her now, his breathing slightly heavy.

She let her eyes slide close as she turned around slowly. They flickered open for a moment as she leaned back. He seemed even more angry than before. She smiled as gravity took hold and she plummeted downwards. This would certainly not improve his mood. She twisted in mid air, aiming for the staircase just below the one she dropped from. She was just slightly off in her aim and instead of landing on her feet, Hunter hit the railing with a sickening crunch. She held on though barely and managed to pull herself over the railing. Hobbling through the archway, she paused halfway through and considered her choices. The fact was that she did not have a single choice that was a good one and her time was running out. Why she ran in the first place… she discarded each reason almost as soon as they occurred to her. There was no concrete reason, only instinct. Fear and panic were such illogical emotions but instinct had never failed her before.

She sighed, winced, then hobbled forward, her hand trailing along the wall for balance. Someplace safe…someplace safe… A sudden pang shot through her and it was all she could do to stay upright. She needed to hide. There was no way he could run anywhere. There was door just a few feet away. Strange. She was almost positive there had not been a door there before. Grasping the handle, she shoved it open with what remained of her strength then leaned against it till it shut with a strangely final sounding click. The room was dimly lit but it was light enough that she could take in the odd array of items that filled the place. A large bed took up roughly half the place. This in itself was worrisome. Someone's bedroom was not a good place to hide. Then her eyes locked on the bedside table. A bottle labeled 'skele-gro' sat there next to a glass of what looked to be water and a pitcher which most likely held more of the same.

Hunter realized two things at that moment: One, that she was parched and two that this was most definitely the safest place in the castle. Grinning, she hobbled over to the table and grabbed the bottle by the neck. Ripping out the cork, she gulped done half of it before gagging then reached for the pitcher. As the jabs of pain grew worse, she crawled up onto the bed and collapsed. It was looking to be a long night indeed.

_A/n: Just to clarify: After she runs from the balcony, it is the boy who is chasing her. The room she has discovered is the Room of Requirement but then hopefully that part was obvious. Looking for a Beta for this story._


	2. Jump Starting Comprehension

Though autumn was swiftly descending upon the land now, this day seemed out of place. It was warm, almost balmy; the kind of day that would try the diligence of even the most avid scholar. Hunter was nothing of the sort so naturally she was reclining under the very tree she fancied played a minor part in the very book that inspired this place. Or perhaps it was the other way around… That was a headache for another day, however. At present, she was content to simply sky gaze for a time before the world caught up to her once more. This escape had been quite unexpected for one thing. Ever since it had been decided she would stay and become a student at the school, it had been a horribly full schedule of eat sleep and learn. Given, most of it was interesting but in many cases it was one thing to read about doing something and quite another to actually do it.

Staying awake during History of Magic lectures was a prime example. She had been wondering how anyone managed then remembered that they didn't. At least, not usually. And as luck would have it, that was hardly the least of her worries. Her Focus now had a name and that by itself had led to a whole new world of headaches. The tall, pale, commanding boy who seemed at once both dangerous and coldly intelligent. She rose slightly to lean back on her elbows and sighed. The ironic smile she had been fighting was already causing the corners of her mouth to twist upwards in a mix of dark humor and pain.

"Oh Tom, you silly dolt."

She sighed then rose to her feet and shed the robes she had yet to get used to. Underneath them she wore a camisole and a pair of shorts. Her shoes and socks lay long abandoned among the trees roots. Walking leisurely to the lake's edge, she paused a moment then ran in to dive under the water as soon as it reached her waist. Coming to the surface, she swam a pool's length from the shore then lay back in the water to float awhile. She had always loved the water. Calm until disturbed, it took the disturbance and spread it across the placid surface till it disappeared. It could absorb any shock. Lying here like this with her ears below the surface all she could hear was an almost silence. The sound of water was still there but all else was cut off. It was both peaceful and at the same time somewhat eerie. And then she heard it. Faint at first, so faint as to escape immediate notice, but it quickly grew louder and louder till it was all around her. An almost ethereal singing. She rose with a start and the sound cut off just as suddenly. For a moment she could only panic blindly when finally she remembered a part of the story that had never held much interest for her before.

"Mermaids."

The word was soft and breathless. Even after two weeks of living in this world of magic, such things still struck her as wonder. The moving paintings had been the worst though. As if privacy was hard enough to come by. She tread water for a handful of minutes, wondering if they might come to the surface but the dark depths betrayed no hint of movement beyond her own. Disappointed and prune-like, she made her way back to the shore and dry clothes. She was only a few feet away and well past escape when she noticed the stern woman standing at the lake's edge with a very displeased grimace gracing her already pinched face. Rather than stutter apologies, Hunter simply waved and continued past towards her clothes. The lady huffed in response in the kind of way that warns a body that a very long and quite possibly loud lecture is coming. Hunter smiled in spite of herself as she pulled her robes on. Some people were just far too predictable.

--

"It is rather rude to stare even if I am facing away from you, Tom. What is it now?"

She spoke with a weary but resigned tone in a way that suggested this scene had been played out many times before. Though he did not speak, she could feel his gaze on her. Burning a hole in her back rather. Sharp, red-hot knives digging into her flesh to find the secrets he seemed to think she carried or some other such nonsense. With practice she had learned to keep most of her real emotions out of her voice but every now and then she would lose that tentative control. She had to be very careful around everyone but especially him. She had to remind herself of this every time she saw him and sometimes repeatedly during one of their short conversations. They were never longer than a handful of minutes for various reasons. One of the professors would interrupt or one of his lackeys on accident. Tom would get fed up with her non-answers and storm off or she would start to lose control again and simply leave. Short and meaningless to anyone else but she recall perfectly each encounter. Her worry was slowly being overcome by an anxious desire that was as of yet unnamed though she had some idea of what it was aiming at.

"You were talking to the half-breed again. What ever possessed you? The oaf can hardly string two words together let alone carry on a proper conversation."

The derisive tone annoyed her for a moment before her good humor returned. In all honestly, she had spoken to Hagrid partly out of pure curiosity and partly to annoy him. She knew he had been watching as she left the castle to visit the caretaker's cottage and had felt a strange sort of satisfaction in that knowledge. Let him fume all he liked. As long as she watched how far she pushed him, Hunter knew she was relatively safe. In any case, it was much easier to tease him as they spoke then try to simply reply as honestly as she could. More natural really.

"If he can't string words together than it wasn't a conversation. Besides, who I speak to is hardly of your concern, Tom. What are you, jealous?"

The last part was a jibe she had tacked on at the end as she turned to face him just so she could raise a questioning eyebrow and smirk at him in a half-serious way. He scowled back and did not reply immediately. Her smirk grew into a wide grin as she decided to dig a little more of her grave.

"Ah, so it is true. I am quite sorry darling but you know how I like my men big. He's quite a catch after all."

The scowl turned into one of his cold glares and she knew then she had stepped over some invisible boundary. The grin slipped for a moment and was replaced with a flash of panic which was in turned covered by a shaky smile.

"Learn to take a joke Mr. Riddle or your face will freeze like that."

She slid past him to the door even as she waited for the hit. Just as her fingers were curling around the door handle, his hand grabbed her shoulder like a vise and forced her to face him. His anger had receded behind the cool mask he wore almost constantly though his eyes remained hard as he took in the now obvious fear in her expression. Releasing her shoulder, he took a small step back and smiled wanly.

"Perhaps but then you will have the ugliest children known to man."

She couldn't help but laugh, half in shock at the scathing joke. Her grin returned as she laughed though it was cautious.

"So you would rather go through life looking as if you have just eaten a lemon?"

"Undoubtedly."

"Hmm…maybe you're right."

As she laughed again, the door opened to reveal a puffing and slightly put-out older gentleman carrying three thick and dusty volumes.

"Now Miss Hunter, you simply must return to your lesson or you shall never catch up to your year!"

Hunter sighed dramatically and waved the man on ahead of her.

"Yes, yes. I'm coming."

She turned for a moment to cast one last look at the boy who frightened her and who she looked forward to seeing each day as she rose. Pausing in the doorway, she flashed a quick smile then rolled her eyes as the puffing man called her name once again. _How obnoxious._

_--_

The door slid shut with a soft hiss as the pale boy turned towards the window Hunter had just vacated. She was a muddle of confusion and a source of frustration though an excellent riddle as well. The wane smile disappeared as he thought this. It was replaced thoroughly by the polite mask he had cultivated over the years he had spent playing teacher's pet. Tom Riddle, lover of riddles. A ridiculous thought but one he instinctively knew she would find humorous. Even when he wanted to hurt her badly out of anger or frustration, he never wanted to kill her outright. An anomaly compared to the others who had displeased him. Mainly this was because she was such a curiosity. He had taken his revenge for the hit however. Leaning partway out the window, he let his eyes close against the strong wind whistling past. Though she had obviously been in quite some pain she had not once cried out. The next day all that remained of her punishment were a few faded bruises though when she saw him watching her, there was a restrained sort of nervousness in her expression. She continued to act with carelessness towards him but it was more controlled; careful even. He counted that as quite the success.

--

Things were going splendidly, considering. This is what he kept telling himself with a small hope that he would begin to believe it at some point. Hunter... A strange girl but intelligent and a hard enough worker once she started on a project. Normally he would have considered her a good student and left it at that but her choice of company was at once alarming and puzzling. On the one hand, she conversed easily with her professors including him though she seemed to be a bit more wary in his prescence. He had guessed that to be due to his proficiency at certain artes though he had not attempted to delve into her mind since the day she revealed herself and asked for sanctuary. He smiled then remembering the shocked looks all down the breakfast table but especially the expression that had graced the face of Tom. The smile disappeared to be replaced by a very grim look. The other professors spoke often of how they were seen with each other all throughout the day though never for long. Just... often. It was worrying. Ever since the death of that poor girl and perhaps even before then though not prominent he had held many dark concerns over the Riddle boy. Even from the brief glimpse he had had in the girl's mind, he knew she was... What was the term? 'Not from around here'. It was then he recognized the mounting headache. Taking a quick right, he strode towards the Infirmary even as his thoughts grew darker.

Regardless of her origins, she was in some danger simply be association. Though he had tried to warn her subtly by recounting a few past events she had hardly given any of his words the weight they deserved. Very frustrating. Infact, it was almost as if she was brushing him off. Most of all it was her words that bothered him. _'Tom is no more dangerous right now than you. There's no need to worry for a handful of years yet_.' As if she _expected_ Tom to -- but no. He didn't believe it was that bad. The boy simply needed a little guidance and perhaps a very serious talking to. It was this hopeful thought that took the edge off the headache though he was still wincing when he reached the Infirmary.

"One cure for a very bad headache please."

The young nurse smiled cheerily and proffered a vile looking glass of liquid which he downed without complaint. Almost instant relief greeted him even as he tried not to gagged. Gasping out a 'thank you' he turned back to the corridors and his daily patrol. After some time he turned back to his own classroom and cheerfully greeted the pair of students standing outside his door. One of the students turned with a cold smile and bowed his head ironically before turning on his heel and walking off. The girl sighed then smiled apologetically.

"You'd think he'd learn some manners, neh? Tis a pity really. He could be a real heart breaker if he weren't such an ass."

Her quick grin was inviting him in on the joke though as a professor he felt it was his duty to chastise her for using such language. Still, it was with a light hearted smile that he entered the classroom.

"So Miss Hunter, where shall we start today?"

--

"Um, teacups to tortoises I think. I had been wondering if the letters help like... spoons to snakes or earrings to elephants."

Her grin widened as she saw his eyes twinkle with hidden laughter. She had long felt a pang every time she thought of his fate. It seemed unfair. Every time she could make him smile at her silliness would be one more point in her favor. Perhaps enough to tip the balance as well. Regardless, it made her happy to see him without the constant worry especially when she knew part of that was over her. Hunter sighed mentally even as she went through the motions of seemingly paying attention. Was it not enough to be making such progress in her studies? She would hopefully be admitted into a mix of second and third year classes when the school year commenced though she was crossing her fingers for third/fourth. Tom was in his fifth year already which meant if she pushed it she could probably reach sixth year when he did. Maybe. Hopefully. It helped she had an account at Gringotts in her name.

They had all been surprised at that, especially her though it made sense. It was all apart of the program. She had wondered if there had been aught else in her name though so far nothing had shown up. Her scattered memories of spells also came in handy though she did not know nearly enough for her age which brought about her current schedule of tutoring. Her classes and sleeping arrangements had been a whole other mess though they had settled the matter by placing her in the fifth year dorms and picking out classes that fit her level rather than her age. With continually tutoring, it was hoped she could catch up eventually. Returning her attention to the lesson, she couldn't help but blush as she realized her teacup had sprouted three and a half legs and was just about to walk off the table. She grabbed it just in time then stared down at the table sheepishly. She could tell he was trying not to smile.

"Once more Miss Hunter. This time with a little more concentration."

_A/N: So we are getting on a bit. As always, all reviews are appreciated. Still looking for a Beta as well…_


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